1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighbouring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end.
2. Related Art
Such a windscreen wiper device is generally known. The prior art windscreen wiper device is in particular designed as a “yokeless” wiper device, wherein use is no longer made of several yokes pivotally connected to each other, but wherein the wiper blade is biassed by the carrier element, as a result of which it exhibits a specific curvature. The oscillating arm of the prior art windscreen wiper device comprises a projecting pin on one side thereof, which is inserted sideways into a through hole of the connecting device.
One drawback of the prior art windscreen wiper device is the fact that in practice the forces (torques) that are exerted on the connection between the connecting device and the oscillating arm appear to be relatively high, as a result of which the reliability of said connection appears to diminish with the passage of time. In addition, said forces (torques) will be extra high if (as is the case with the prior art windscreen wiper device) the pin of the oscillating arm, which projects in one direction, is inserted into the through hole of the connecting device at a high point relative to the wiper blade.
The object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art as indicated above, in particular to provide a windscreen wiper device wherein the oscillating wiper and the connecting device are interconnected in a durable, solid manner.
In order to accomplish that objective, a windscreen wiper device of the kind referred to in the introduction is characterized in that the end of the oscillating wiper arm has an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section and that the connecting device is at least partly positioned within said end or the oscillating arm, wherein the end of the oscillating arm is provided, at the location of the pivot axis, with a shaft extending between the legs of the U-shaped cross-section, said shaft pivotally engaging in said connecting device. In particular, the shaft can be pivotally fitted in at least one correspondingly shaped recess in the connecting device.
In one preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the shaft can be snapped into said recess.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the shaft is dimensioned such that it can be passed through an insertion opening of the recess from an at least substantially perpendicular position of the oscillating arm with respect to the wiper blade, and be locked in position in said recess from an at least substantially parallel position of the oscillating wiper arm with respect to the wiper blade. This makes it possible to move, in particular pivot, the oscillating wiper arm from a mounting position (that is, a (vertical) position perpendicularly to the wiper blade or the plane of a windscreen to be wiped) to an operative position (that is, a (horizontal) position parallel to the wiper blade or the plane of a windscreen to be wiped). In the mounting position, the shaft can be freely inserted into the insertion opening of the recess and subsequently be mounted in said recess, whilst in the operative position the shaft is locked in position in said recess, so that it cannot move out of said recess via the insertion opening.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper according to the invention, the shaft is formed by two protrusions each extending inwardly on a leg of the U-shaped cross-section. Preferably said protrusions are at least substantially cylindrical and form at least substantially cylindrical bearing surfaces. The two protrusions that function as bearing surfaces are spaced far apart, so that the forces that are exerted on said bearing surfaces will be relatively low.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper according to the invention, the connecting device device includes a guide groove for the oscillating wiper arm. Since the oscillating wiper arm is at least partially disposed in said guide groove in the aforesaid operative position, the oscillating wiper arm comprises additional capability of withstanding relatively high torques in that position.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper according to the invention the shaft is formed by a pin extending from one leg to the other leg of the U-shaped cross-section.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, said connecting pieces are clamping members, which form separate constructional elements. In particular, said connecting pieces are form-locked (“positive locking” or “having positive fit”) or force-locked to the adjacent ends of the longitudinal strips.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, said connecting pieces are in one piece with said longitudinal strips.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wider device according to the invention, at least said longitudinal strips are made of spring band material, preferably steel.
In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, said connecting device comprises clamping members, which engage round longitudinal sides of said longitudinal strips that face away from each other. In particular, said connecting device and said clamping members are made in one piece.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for manufacturing a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, wherein opposing longitudinal grooves are formed in the longitudinal sides of an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, in which grooves longitudinal strips of a carrier element are subsequently fitted in spaced-apart relationship, wherein neighbouring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, wherein an oscillating arm is pivotally connected to a connecting device of the windscreen wiper device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, characterized in that the end of the oscillating wiper arm has an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section and that the connecting device is at least partly positioned within said end of the oscillating arm, wherein the end of the oscillating arm is provided, at the location of the pivot axis, with a shaft extending between the legs of the U-shaped cross-section, said shaft pivotally engaging in said connecting device.